Day 11 - Did I mention how much I love the people? (Boente to Santa Irene 27 km)

Another people day! I looked back at all my posts and the incredible people I've met on my journey is definitely a recurring theme. As mentioned yesterday, we are now on the Camino Frances and the number of pilgrims has increased dramatically from what we experienced on the Primitivo.

Dan and I started under the stars again after a quick java and piece of cake at our albergue. The travel today had a few sections beside the highway but generally, we were on a wide path in the forest. Services, like cafes, are plentiful along this route and we took advantage of them a couple of times today. We walked this route two years ago so we were both looking for locations that had special memories for us. The further along the path we went, the more memories popped up.

One of the first was the bridge where we cooled off in a very chilly river after a hot day in October 2019. We had big smiles on our faces as we reminisced about that day. At this spot this morning we had bacon and eggs in the same cafe where we had a multinational dinner back then. I won't mention all of the memorable places we saw today but suffice to say that we smiled a great deal at these memories.

I met some wonderful people today. Most who I talked to were from the USA - Atlanta Georgia, Kirkland Washington, and Iowa. I also met a couple from Mexico who had visited Toronto when their children were going to high school in the city a couple of years ago. We also met a young lady from Germany who had very interesting life stories. Each person had a different reason for walking the Camino and the duration of their walks varied from a couple of days to several weeks. I've thoroughly enjoyed each encounter and I'm hoping to see all of these pilgrims again as we walk into Santiago tomorrow. We are also looking forward to seeing all the pilgrims from the Norte and Primitivo who we consider to be family.

I have been told by many people that there are several Canadians on the path but I've still not met any. Not much time left!

There is one day to go until we reach the primary destination of Santiago. 23 km. We arrived in France on Aug 21st and started walking on the 23rd so tomorrow will be the 54th day of our journey. And what a journey it's been. Stay tuned because there's more to come.

On the Camino, always look behind you to get the sunrise picture.

A beer advertisement.

Two years ago, we went for a refreshing dip in this river after a hot day. This morning, not so much!

We found a great protein breakfast at a cafe by the river. Two years ago we had a wonderful international dinner at the same cafe.

Another memory - this cafe seems to save every beer bottle they have to put them on display.

They've added in the last two years!

The donkey stamp man! Today was his last day before he heads back to Hungary.

Paco and Tere from Mexico City were delightful to talk to. They noticed my Canadian flag, said ‘Toronto’ which then started our conversation. Their children spent a year there in high school. Wonderful people.

As Paco, Tere and I were stopped and looking at this memorial with a Mexican flag, six cyclists from Mexico zipped past on the path. What a coincidence!

From Atlanta, Georgia, I met Jane, Jimmy, Kelly and Mary Anne. Each had their own reason for being on the Camino.

This empty path was a rare sight today.

We met Anica from Germany early in the day.

Angela, from Kirkland Washington, was a real pleasure to walk with.

This was another spot that had special memories from our first Camino.

This was the norm for the path today - a steady stream of pilgrims.

I've had a few moments on this journey and I'm very grateful for all of the blessings in my life.